Description of the attraction
The Atacama Desert is the driest area in Chile, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes to the east. This desert, with an area of about 106,000 square kilometers, is located in the regions of Arica and Parinacota, Tarapaca, Antofagasta and the northern part of the Atacama.
The Atacama Desert is rich in salt lakes, hot springs and geysers, as well as mineral resources such as copper (28% of the world's copper reserves), iron, gold and silver, as well as large deposits of boron, sodium and potassium nitrate salts. There are also many reserves of bischofite - a mineral obtained from the Salar de Atacama salt lakes, used in construction and pharmacology. These minerals are developed and extracted in the Atacama Desert by mining companies such as Codelco and Lomas Bayas (the world's largest copper mining companies), Soquimich (Chile's largest salt, iodine and lithium processing company) …
Three million years ago, this area was part of the ocean floor. The main reason for the emergence of the Atacama Desert is a global climatic phenomenon that creates the deserts of the western coasts of all continents of the southern hemisphere at this latitude. The high atmospheric pressure of this zone forms the "Pacific Cyclone", which periodically moves along the coast to the east, creating storms.
In addition, the Humboldt Ocean Current carries cold water from Antarctica northward along the Chilean and Peruvian coasts, while cooling sea breezes from the west, reducing evaporation and inhibiting the formation of large rain clouds. In this case, all the moisture received condenses along the steep slopes of the Cordillera de la Costa, giving life to the local ecosystem, consisting of cacti, succulents and other species of local endemic flora.
In the Atacama Desert, rain can fall once every 15 to 40 years. Periods of up to 400 years without rain have been recorded in this area. At night, temperatures can drop to -25 ° C, and daytime temperatures can rise to + 50 ° C in the shade. In the desert there are seasons of tornadoes and strong winds, the speed of which reaches 100 km / h.
The Atacama Desert has been inhabited since the beginning of American colonization. During the pre-Hispanic period, representatives of the Chinchorro culture lived here approximately 5,000 -1700 years ago.
The Atacama Desert got its name after the Spanish-American War of Independence, and due to inaccurate documents, this area officially became part of Bolivia. Despite the signed treaties, the bordering states were unable to resolve disputes and in 1879 the territory became part of the Antofagasta region of Chile, initiating military action against Bolivia. In 1873, an agreement was signed on a defensive alliance between Peru and Bolivia, thus the war in the Pacific was officially declared in 1879, which ended in 1884 with the victory of Chile and the signing of the Ancona peace treaty.
The Atacama Desert is considered one of the best places in the world to observe the sky. Thanks to this, more than a dozen observatories are located in the Atacama Desert: Paranal (VLT), the ALMA astronomical complex, the largest astronomical project in the world, La Silla, and others. Chile owns 40% of the world's astronomical observations.
The Atacama Desert hosts off-road rallies such as Rally Baja Atacama, Rally Baja Chile, Rally Patagonia Atacama. The dunes of this desert are ideal for this sport. The Atacama Desert also hosts the Atacama Solar Race.
